Outfielder Alex Verdugo is no longer Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s problem.
In fact, Cora and the Red Sox were so happy to be done with Verdugo that they didn’t have any second thoughts about dumping him on the Yankees in the always-rare trade between the biggest rivals in baseball.
But while Cora & Co. are done with Verdugo, the polarizing outfielder is not done with Cora, as Verdugo took a not-so-subtle shot at the Boston manager during his introductory press conference with the Yankees on Thursday.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – JULY 12: Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 12, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The seemingly obvious jab here from Verdugo is that Cora did not have Verdugo’s back. And, according to Verdugo, not only did Cora not have his back, but he actually aired their problems out to the masses, and perhaps most damaging, Cora didn’t fight for his guys.
Of course, Verdugo’s view on Cora is almost certainly damaged by what happened between the two during the 2023 season. Early in the campaign, Cora pulled Verdugo for not hustling and benched him the next day. Later in the year, Cora benched Verdugo for being late to the ballpark.
Cora was so annoyed by Verdugo’s tardiness that he went as far to describe as one of his worst days with the organization. To say that about someone simply being late? Man, oh man, did it have to be absolutely heinous.
Their issues seemingly went beyond 2023, too, as last offseason was headlined by Cora citing Verdugo as the player who needed to improve the most.
BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 6: Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox looks on from the dugout during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on August 6, 2023. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
This is also a bit of Verdugo letting his true feelings be known, as he said just three months ago that there were no hard feelings between himself and Cora or the organization as a whole for that matter. Back then (and with comments made public via an interview with The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey), Verdugo did note that there were things that could’ve been handled different, but repeatedly said that he had no hard feelings or ill will towards ‘AC’ or the Red Sox and that he was looking forward to the future.
Now that that future is taking place in the Bronx and not continuing in Boston, Verdugo spoke his truth.
Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting an RBI home run in the bottom of the second inning of the game against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park on April 16, 2022. (Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Cora, meanwhile, seemingly took the high road when it came to tossing dirt on Verdugo in the wake of the trade that sent him to New York earlier this offseason.
“You cannot manage 26 guys the same way,” Cora said to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo earlier this month. “I listened to Jim Leyland the other day. If you manage everybody the same way, it’s not gonna happen. We have a good relationship. Actually, our kids are very tight. I had to explain to the boys (Cora’s twin sons), ‘Dugie is going to be with the Yankees.’ In the business side of it and the game side of it, we saw an opportunity to get better in an area that is our weakest point as an organization.
“We challenged him after ‘22 and he responded … it’s like everything else. There’s ups and downs. There were some situations that became public. I didn’t like that but it’s part of it. I think there was a good understanding from his end of what we were trying to accomplish.”
And while Cora has his own understanding, it’s clear that Verdugo, who admitted that he was ‘heated’ when he was traded to the Yankees, is taking it personal and ready to stick it to his old team however possible.
“I work out every day with a Yankee hat, to see how it looks on me, how it feels. Fresh start and it feels good,” Verdugo told reporters. “I just want to work hard and I want to prove, maybe, a lot of ‘he said, she said’ things wrong. I want to just show them, we’re all people, man, we’re all human. Yeah, we make mistakes. But how do we learn from them and bounce back from them and how much stronger do we get from that. I’m excited for this new fresh start.
“I want to win the World Series, but obviously, we’ve got to take it day-by-day.”
Verdugo will get his first shot to torch Cora and the Red Sox when the sides have a three-game, weekend series at Fenway Park from June 14 through June 16.
